ReminiScents
by xinderella
Summary: KxT. Tomoe comes to Kenshin in a dream, begging him to move on. Will he be able to forget his first love? Or will he be forever haunted by the memory of her death? One-Shot. COMPLETE.


Title: Remini-Scents  
  
Author: Xinderella  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin. Or "Taking Over Me" by Evanescence. So don't sue me.  
  
Summary: Tomoe comes to Kenshin in a dream, begging him to move on. Will he be able to forget his first love? Or will he be forever haunted by the memory of her death?  
  
Other: Read and review. And no flames. Please.  
  
- . - means that's part of the song.  
  
" . " means the person is speaking out loud.  
  
'.' means the person is thinking to himself or herself.  
  
_ . _ means that particular word is being stressed or emphasized. (My italics aren't working.)  
  
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*  
  
- You don't remember me But I remember you  
  
I lie awake and try so hard  
  
Not to think of you  
  
But who can decide what they dream?  
  
And dream I do... -  
  
"Zzzzzzzzzzzz. . ."  
  
A samurai wielding a reverse-blade sword at his side sat under the sakura tree, dozing lightly under the pink blossoms just bursting into bloom. His long, red hair was tied back into a ponytail, and his bangs shadowed his down-turned face. A light breeze blew about him, scattering sakura petals everywhere on the grassy ground. He was curled up between two of the thickest roots, one knee up against his chest. The thick fragrance of the sakura surrounded him, settling into the fabric of his worn clothes. The noon sun hovered just overhead, heating the air to comforting warmth. The shade of the cherry blossom tree protected the wanderer from the harmful rays of the sun, casting shadows upon his slim form.  
  
"Tomoe. . . Tomoe. . . I. . . I. . . am so. . . sorry. . . Tomoe. . . Please. . . don't leave me here. . . I'm alone. . . So alone. . . Come back. . . Tomoe. . . Love. . ."  
  
He murmured these grief-filled words in restless slumber. It hurt her just to listen.  
  
"Kenshin. . ."  
  
"No. . . Tomoe. . . Don't leave me. . ."  
  
"Kenshin. . . Wake up. . . Wake up, anata. . ."  
  
It sounded so real to him. He shut his eyes tightly trying to go back to sleep, but slumber slowly slipped out of his mind's grasp, eventually replaced with the awareness of being awake. He didn't want to wake up. Anything to keep that heavenly voice in his mind. He wanted to go back to sleep, wanted to hear his beloved's voice again. But even as he slowly awoke from slumber, the voice grew louder and clearer --instead of fading away like all of his dreams.  
  
He realized the voice was actually in his ear, not just in his mind. His eyes shot open, and he leapt to his feet, searching for the source of that all-too-familiar voice.  
  
"Tomoe? It can't be. . ."  
  
"Yes it can, anata. It is I. Or are you willing to distrust that which lies before your very eyes?"  
  
A movement in front of him caught his attention. He turned quickly towards the disturbance in the air, and gasped at what he saw. The atmosphere a few yards in front of Kenshin shimmered and sparkled in the noonday heat. . . Or was it because of something else? The haze faded slowly away. . . But not before leaving behind a human form.  
  
It was a woman. A woman wearing a white kimono with pink sakura petals sewn skillfully onto the smooth fabric. A lavender obi was tied about her slender waist, with a full ribbon in the back. Long, raven hair flowed down to her waist, contrasting sharply with the moonlike paleness of her skin. Two fringed bangs fell down either side of her face, making it seem longer and more elegant. Beautiful eyes stared into his own violet ones. They were filled with sorrow. The eternal darkness in her eyes threatened to swallow the flickering light that had appeared as soon as she saw Kenshin.  
  
Kenshin whispered wonderingly, wanting to believe, yet frightened that his heart would be crushed by grim reality.  
  
"Tomoe?"  
  
"Yes, anata, it is I."  
  
"You are not a. . ."  
  
"A ghost? Come. See for yourself, anata."  
  
She held out a small hand in a sign of peace, palm facing towards him. He cautiously moved forward, then raised his hand to hers. He lightly touched his fingertips against hers, then pressed against them firmly and determinedly as he realized his hand did not go through. Her hand felt soft and satiny against the callused roughness of his own.  
  
- I believe in you  
  
I'll give up everything just to find you  
  
I have to be with you to live to breathe  
  
You're taking over me -  
  
"Tomoe! It truly is you, de gozaru yo!"  
  
Tomoe opened her arms to her beloved husband as he rushed to embrace her. He caught up to her and laughed out loud in joyful wonder as he wrapped his arms tightly around her. Still smiling, he buried his face blissfully into her fragrant hair. He breathed in deeply, savoring the heady scent that was Tomoe.  
  
Tomoe. His wife.  
  
He clung to her tightly, wanting this moment to last forever. She looked just as he remembered. She smelled just as he remembered.  
  
'White plum. . .'  
  
"Anata."  
  
"Yes, love?"  
  
Tomoe smiled at her husband's affectionate response.  
  
"This is not the reason I chose to visit you. You know that just as well as I do."  
  
"Then why did you?" He reluctantly pulled away with a questioning look in his eyes.  
  
Tomoe paused reflectively before she gave an answer. She reached out a slender hand to brush away a few stray strands of the fiery hair that fell across her beloved's face. "I came to say good-bye, anata." She bit her lip after the last affectionate word escaped her throat.  
  
'I mustn't call him that anymore. . .'  
  
Kenshin gave a dismayed cry. "No! Tomoe, you can't go! You just got here, and it's been so long. . ."  
  
He tried to give her another hug, but she stepped away from him and turned her head to the side dismissively. Tears began to form in his eyes for his broken heart, and he lowered his head in shame. She turned her face back to him, worriedly. Her serious eyes filled with sympathy for her husband.  
  
"Oh, anata. Don't weep for me anymore. You've done enough of that for two lifetimes."  
  
'He isn't ready for this. But he _has_ to be.'  
  
Kenshin looked up at the familiar, reassuring name she called him, just in time to see her take a step back towards him and raise her hand again. This time, it was to brush away the glittering tears that continued their steady drop to the ground below. The fallen tears mixed and mingled with the gems of dew sparkling on the lush, emerald grasses below.  
  
He saw her eyes, brimming with unshed tears, and he knew that she still loved him. Her hand wiped his tears away with such tenderness, her felt like he would break down completely and start to sob uncontrollably in all his pain and sorrow. Tomoe still stood apart from him, an arm's length away. Near enough for her to touch him, but far enough to prevent him from embracing her again. She ran her fingertips down the unscarred side of his face reassuringly.  
  
"You must let go, anata."  
  
His sad eyes began to fill with confusion. "But. . . I'm not touching you."  
  
Tomoe laughed low in her throat, feeling fondness for her husband well up inside her. She lowered her hand and explained so that her husband would comprehend her words.  
  
"You should know well what I mean, anata. Let go of your grief. Let go of the past. I may not move on until you do."  
  
He turned his head downward in silence. She raised her right hand and slowly began to stroke the cross-shaped scar on the left side of his face.  
  
After a moment, she added, "I should never have done this to you. I should have seen what would have happened."  
  
"What are you saying?"  
  
"You don't want to move on, do you, anata? Even though you have to." She lowered her hand to her side. "You have to let go, Kenshin, if you want to live the rest of your life in happiness. Forget the past. Forget. . . Forget me."  
  
Kenshin's head jerked up suddenly. He growled, surprising her with the vengeance in his tone of voice. "No, Tomoe! I can't! I'll never be truly happy without you!"  
  
His wife's reaction wasn't the one he had expected. She quirked her mouth to the side, a trace of amusement appearing in her eyes. "Really? Is that really true, anata?"  
  
He was stunned into his regular, confused face. "What do you mean, Tomoe?"  
  
"Kenshin."  
  
She placed her right hand upon his heart, pressing it flat against his chest.  
  
"Close your eyes, anata." He did as his wife said, without even the slightest hint of hesitation. She could see that he trusted her completely. She only loved him all the more for that.  
  
"Now, look deep inside yourself. Reach into the deepest part of your soul. Look into your heart, anata." She spoke in a light, cheerful tone, even though her eyes said different, filling with grim seriousness and grave determination. She just _had_ to make him see! She watched as he gazed at the image that appeared before him in his heart. His eyebrows lifted, even as he opened those deep violet orbs of his.  
  
"I see you, Tomoe."  
  
A single tear fell from her eyes. She immediately hated herself for being unable to suppress her feelings. He leaned forward and gently kissed it away. The saltiness lingered on his tongue for a long time afterward. She shook her head, sadly. He wasn't seeing what she wanted him to see -- only that which he wanted to see.  
  
"No, Kenshin. Look again."  
  
He shut his eyes tightly after a glance at the weariness in the eyes of his wife. An image of Kaoru gradually appeared in his mind, just next to the one of Tomoe. His eyebrows lifted in surprise.  
  
"Do you see now what I mean, anata?" She removed her hand from his chest and gazed expectantly at him.  
  
He opened his sad, violet eyes and nodded mournfully. "I saw. Kaoru-dono."  
  
Tomoe smiled in relief. "You are very lucky to have met her, anata. She is a wonderful woman, a sweet and trusting girl that loves you with all of her heart. And you know now that you love her, too. So stop looking so somber." Her last words came out in a stern manner, though her eyes were amused.  
  
- Have you forgotten all I know  
  
And all we had?  
  
You saw me mourning my love for you  
  
And touched my hand  
  
I knew you loved me then -  
  
"But. . . I love _you_, Tomoe," Kenshin said faintly, uncertainly, as if to remind her.  
  
"I love you, too, anata. But so does she. And she is the one that is alive." She smiled at the last part, a final stab at humor. "Let go, Kenshin. Forget me." Her hand reached out and touched his as she moved closer to comfort him.  
  
He grasped her hand in a gentle, relaxed grip and sighed in defeat. "I know. But I won't forget you."  
  
She understood. "Then just keep me close to your heart. You don't have to forget me. Just promise me that you'll move on. Promise you'll be happy without me."  
  
She gave his hand a beseeching squeeze. He squeezed back, saying, "I. . . promise." He choked out his vow with obvious difficulty.  
  
She smiled sadly and kissed him lightly on his left cheek, right on the spot where the two scars crossed.  
  
-I believe in you  
  
I'll give up everything just to find you  
  
I have to be with you to live to breathe  
  
You're taking over me-  
  
"Good-bye, anata."  
  
"Goodbye, Tomoe. Good-bye. . . my love."  
  
She slipped her hand out of his grasp and turned to leave him.  
  
"Tomoe?"  
  
She turned back to him, her face calmly quizzical. "Yes, anata?"  
  
"Do. . . Do you. . ." He trailed off into an awkward silence. 'Do you forgive me?' he wanted to ask, but failed in doing so.  
  
She smiled again. Fondness and love for her dear husband filled her heart. He didn't have to finish for her to understand. She knew him too well.  
  
-I look in the mirror and see your face  
  
If I look deep enough  
  
So many things inside that are Just like you are taking over-  
  
"I forgave you a long time ago, anata."  
  
Tomoe suddenly tilted her head to the side and gazed through him with a far-away look in her eyes. As if she heard something in the far distance. He strained to hear, but only heard the loud pounding of his heart and the breathing sounds he made whenever he inhaled deeply. The light breeze whipped gently around the two of them as she made out the message.  
  
Her eyes focused on Kenshin again, and she smiled, saying, "Kenshin, anata, she's calling you. It's time for you to wake up."  
  
"All right. I love you, Tomoe." He embraced her for the last time. And she let him.  
  
"I love you, too, Kenshin. Kenshin. . . Kenshin. . ."  
  
Tomoe's voice slowly faded away even as her body did. A bright light appeared before Kenshin's dream-eyes. He blinked rapidly and raised an arm to shield his eyes from the intense brightness. The voice grew louder, turning into someone else's, whinier and more impatient.  
  
"Kenshin. . . Kenshin. . . Kenshin! KENSHIN!!!"  
  
Someone screamed into his ear, nearly damaging his poor eardrums. He bolted out of sleep and jumped three feet into the air, landing on the steps of the Kamiya Dojo. Rubbing his aching head, he asked, "Oro?"  
  
"Kenshin!" A wrathful Kaoru loomed dangerously over him. Angry fire burned in her blue eyes.  
  
"I'm sorry, Kaoru-dono, de gozaru yo." He smiled adorably and got up slowly to his feet.  
  
"You should be, Kenshin! I need you to go down to the village and buy some tofu!"  
  
He smiled again, unperturbed, and hugged her fondly. The startled woman stiffened, surprised, then relaxed in his embrace.  
  
"Kenshin. . ." she whispered. She closed her eyes, enjoying this peaceful moment. 'He smells like. . . like sakura and white plum. . .'  
  
But she soon came to her senses, snapping her eyes open. "KENSHIN, YOU HENTAI BAKA!!!" She whacked him over the head with her wooden sword, giving him a huge, painful lump. She started chasing him around the courtyard, swinging angrily with her bokken. "COME BACK HERE, KENSHIN!!!" she screamed loudly. Sanosuke and Yahiko appeared, attracted by Kaoru's screams. They started laughing hysterically at the scene the two made. "KENSHIN!!! COME BACK AND TAKE YOUR PUNISHMENT LIKE A MAN!!!"  
  
Overhead, above the clouds, a small tinkling of amused laughter came. Her eyes, for the first time ever, had not even the smallest trace of sorrow. They were filled completely with love and happiness for her husband, leaving no more room for sadness. She turned and left, still chuckling, leaving behind a faint scent. It smelled like white plum, with just a hint of sakura petals. . .  
  
-I believe in you  
  
I'll give up everything just to find you  
  
I have to be with you to live to breathe  
  
You're taking over me-  
  
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*  
  
[1] Anata: Dear (what a woman calls her husband)  
  
[2] Bokken: Wooden sword  
  
[3] Oro?: Huh? What?  
  
[4] Hentai: Pervert  
  
[5] Baka: Idiot (in the case of hentai baka, perverted idiot or stupid pervert)  
  
[6] De gozaru yo: something Kenshin says.  
  
Like it? Or not? Tell me in your reviews!  
  
P. S. This is a one-shot fanfic.  
  
P. P. S. I may be making a prequel for this, but that depends on how many reviews I get for this one. Maybe if I get five. Or ten. So please review!  
  
-Xinderella  
  
NEKO  
  
=^..^=  
  
( ) S 


End file.
